Guest post by Marcel Oudejans

As every successful business owner knows, it is vitally important that your customers speak highly of you.  ‘Word-of-mouth’ advertising is considered to be the most effective and profitable form of marketing, as happy customers are likely to talk highly about your business to their families, friends and colleagues: social proof is often the most important motivator when making a buying decision. Prospects can be easily dissuaded from doing business with you if they hear a negative comment from someone they trust.

Every time you interact socially, you are creating an impression of how you do business. Do you give the impression that you can be trusted, that you do business ethically, and that you consistently provide value for money? Everyone you meet can make or break your business because they will create an impression of you (correct or not) and have the potential to talk about you positively or negatively.

Unfortunately, we often forget that our suppliers also get an impression of how we do business.  If you treat a supplier unfairly, act disrespectfully on the telephone, or do not pay him on time, what impression are you creating in this person’s mind?  Your supplier probably deals with many other players in your industry and there is a very good chance he will talk about his experiences with you!

Remember that, while we are often reminded to look after our customers, it is equally important to treat your suppliers with as much respect – your reputation may depend on it.

Marcel Oudejans is a Corporate Infotainer who is passionate about inspiring his audiences to deliver more “magic moments” to their customers in their customer service, sales & marketing.  Marcel is the author of “The Serious Business Owner’s Guide To Creating Customers For Life” (free trial edition here) & provides more tricks, techniques & strategies on his blog, http://www.performmarketing.co.za